By Geeta Mohan
Pakistan bureaucrat Danyal Gilani, half-brother of terrorist David Coleman Headley (alias Daood Gilani), one of the co-conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, spoke to India Today TV, defending himself as an “honest officer” who should be allowed to serve his nation.
Gilani was part of the Pakistan delegation that came to Delhi on Friday to pay their last respects to former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His presence on Indian soil caused a massive stir with questions being asked about how he was granted a visa and why the security establishment did not flag his application.
Asked why he accompanied law and information minister, Syed Ali Zafar, despite his association with Headley and it being a sensitive issue in India, he said: “Kinship is not a sin. I am just serving my nation”.
Sources in India say that all “due procedures were followed” and no visa is issued without checking the blacklist. The delegation comprised Syed Ali Zafar (information and law minister), Dr Muhammad Faisal (director general South Asia, Saarc, and Pak foreign ministry spokesperson), Dr Fareha Bugti (director (India) at Pak foreign ministry) and Danyal Gilani (director to law and information minister).
In total it was the minister, three officials, and 8-9 crew members. There was very short time for them to be issued visas and then fly to Delhi. Top Pakistan sources said that Gilani was appointed as the director to the Information minister in March and continued to serve with the interim government from June.
With the new government in place, his duties will be reassigned. Asked why Gilani was a part of the delegation, a senior official said: “The only consideration was that he was the staff officer of the minister and was assisting him.
That’s why he was not present during any official engagement”. Gilani was not present at the Vajpayee’s funeral, nor was he present during the “courtesy” meeting with Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Only the minister and the Pakistan High Commissioner attended the funeral. Not just Gilani, none of the Pakistan officials went to Smriti Sthal due to a crowding issue.
In the year 2009, when the news regarding Headley emerged, Gilani had distanced himself from the terror accused in a statement.
“In the late 60s my father and Daood’s mother got divorced, and according to family elders, she went back to the US. Last time I met him when he visited Pakistan a few days after my father’s death, nearly a year ago.”
source: https://www.indiatoday.in